Turkish poultry by-product feed ban postponed

Officials in Turkey have postponed the implementation of a new poultry by-product feeding regulation for 1 year, a move which has been welcomed by the poultry sector.

The new implementation period for a law on poultry feeding which would have had huge implications for the Turkish poultry sector was going to start on January 1, 2016, but has now been postponed for 1 year and will come into force on January 1, 2017.

Import concerns

The poultry sector had been, and remains, concerned that if the use of poultry by-products as feed is not allowed, they won't be able to import a sufficient amount of soybeans as a substitute because of Turkey's current biosafety legislation.

Representatives from the Turkish poultry sector had petitioned the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (MinFAL) to postpone the implementation for 10 years; arguing that the poultry sector would have to import more feedstuffs in order to meet feeding needs.

MinFAL had previously been resolute that the rule would be implemented as of January 1, 2016, so this unexpected postponement has been welcomed by the sector who were not ready to implement the ban in 2016.

Poultry by-product feedstuff quantities

According to poultry sector representatives, 300,000 MT of feedstuffs were produced from poultry by-products in 2014, with 230,000 MT produced from poultry meal (meat and blood meal) and 70,000 MT from animal fats. The sector estimates that if they are unable to feed poultry by-products, Turkey will need to import 400,000 - 500,000 MT more soybeans, 30,000 MT Di Calcium Phosphate, and 80,000 MT fats to meet feed needs.

Turkey is import-dependent for plant-based protein for animal feed. Turkey imported 2.6 million MT of soybeans and soybean meal in 2014. In addition, even with the additional 1 year extension, the poultry sector remains concerned over the 2017 implementation of the ban, particularly regarding sector's possible economic losses in operations and their difficulties importing feed due to government policies.

Measures to prevent poultry losses

The Turkish poultry sector is advocating that MinFAL take some measures to help the sector to prevent these possible losses. The measures should be to change Turkey's Biosafety legislation so the sector can meet its feed needs through imports.

The disposal of poultry by-products is also an issue of concern and they'd like the government to prepare incineration facilities for the waste . There is still uncertainty and concern among producers as to how these new poultry feeding restrictions will impact the industry.